Halloween is no longer just a night for children to dress up and trick or treat. It has become an entire season with events across North America for grown-ups as well as kids. Here is a smattering of this year’s all-out fright fests:

Universal has Horror Nights at its other parks, but the Orlando event is the largest – so popular that it starts in September and continues through Nov. 3.

Those who dare venture into the resort after dark will be “entertained” in 10 disturbingly real haunted houses, five sinister “scare zones,” and a nightmarish live show, many inspired by cinematic horrors.

A visitor to the Stranger Things haunted house at Universal Orlando comes face to face with a demogorgon. (UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT PHOTO)

New this year is the Stranger Things house, where visitors come face-to-face with pop-up Demogorgons from the Netflix series. Houses based on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Poltergeist, Trick ‘r Treat, and two Jason Blum films – Happy Death Day and The First Purge — are just as terrifying. Another five haunted houses are spine-chilling originals created by Universal.

Visitors who enter scare zones may be stalked by menacing “scare actors.” Two zones are based on ’80s horror icons — Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Revenge of Chucky. The remaining three — Vamp 85: New Year’s Eve, The Harvest and Twisted Tradition — are Universal creations with metal head vampires, creepy creatures made of rotted pumpkins, and evil beings hunting for human sacrifices. A new show by the Academy of Villains dance company rounds out the visit.

British Columbia’s Lower Mainland embraces its spooky spirit with dozens of events, including:

— Potter’s House of Horrors, Surrey’s top rated haunted houses. Highlights include two ultra scary haunted houses with live actors, animatronics, screeching monsters, gasping zombies and a disembodied hand plus Potter’s House of Horrors: Family Hour for a gentler experience, and two Little Haunters houses for younger children.

— Rustic Fort Langley has Grave Tales — a macabre stroll through the National Historic Site — on select nights Oct. 7-30. While guiding participants around the quaint village and misty cemetery, a costumed storyteller relates tales of secret burials, gruesome amputations and other eerie events that took place there. The evening wraps up with a bonfire at the deserted Hudson’s Bay Company Fort. Grave Tales is suitable for thrill-seekers 19 or older, but there is also an all-ages version and the family friendly Halloween at Fort Langley on Oct. 28.

Hordes of menacing monsters and zombies invade Canada’s Wonderland for the annual Halloween Haunt. Visitors can scare themselves silly in nine haunted mazes, six immersive “scare zones” and three wicked live shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in October, as well as Wednesday, Oct. 31 New at the Vaughan park this year:

— The Crypt, a catacomb maze filled with skulls and bones. Take a wrong turn, and you may wander into vaults, where a supernatural cult is bringing the dead back to life.

— Wicked Hollow, a scare zone in a cursed forest, where evil fairies cast spells and menacing gnomes prey on the innocent.

— Vampire Disco with Vampire DJs — of course. Guests become part this interactive dance party that only they can hear through wireless headphones.

Most rides are open during Halloween Haunt, but the event is not recommended for children under 13. For them, there is the daytime Camp Spooky. Held Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 28, it features fun mazes, costume parties, trick-or-treating, live shows with Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang, and more.

Some say New York has New Year’s, New Orleans has Mardi Gras and San Francisco has Halloween.

The city is home to dozens of huge dance parties for revellers 21 years and older. These take place at hotels, lounges and event spaces around the city and feature music by top DJs, live performers and VIP experiences.

Halloween Massive at King Street Event is one of the biggest parties with three levels of dancing and a costume contest. In addition, there are pub crawls and club crawls (“Crawloween” on Oct. 27 is a giant pub crawl that attracts thousands) and party cruises on San Francisco Bay (the Titanic Masquerade, the Black Pearl yacht, the Haunted Ghost Ship, and more).

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